AI Tell Detector
Paste any piece of writing to see how many AI-generated tells it contains. Flags em-dash overuse, "not X, it's Y" constructions, rule-of-three stacks, filler words, hedging patterns, and more. Built on the Wikipedia "Signs of AI writing" guide plus SEORCE house rules.
Content Intelligence
The lower the score, the more human the writing reads.
Good writing is free of mistakes, and it is also free of the patterns readers have come to associate with machine-written text. This tool flags the specific markers that make writing read as "AI-generated" even when the content is accurate. It is a linter, not a classifier. We don't guess if AI wrote the piece; we show you what to fix if you want it to sound human.
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Human-sounding score
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Higher is better. 90+ reads human; under 60 shows multiple AI tells.
Tells detected
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Pattern-by-pattern breakdown
What we check for
Every tell has a severity weight. Scoring prioritises the most obvious markers.
Next steps
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Frequently asked questions
What makes writing look AI-generated?
Em-dash overuse, "it's not X, it's Y" constructions, filler phrases like "it's worth noting", bolded lead-ins on every paragraph, rule-of-three lists everywhere, and a repeating cadence that reads as assembled rather than written.
Can this tool prove something was written by AI?
No. It flags stylistic tells that AI output tends to produce. A human writer with those habits would score the same. Use it as a style check, not a detector in the forensic sense.
Why do em-dashes stand out so much?
Models trained on literary and journalistic prose use em-dashes at roughly 4 to 5 times the rate of average web writing. One or two per article is normal. Seeing one in every paragraph is a tell.
Is passive voice always bad?
No. Scientific and legal writing uses passive voice intentionally. In marketing and journalism, keeping active voice under 20% passive reads cleaner.
What is the "not X, it's Y" pattern?
A rhetorical structure LLMs lean on heavily: "This isn't about speed, it's about control". Occasional use is fine. Three or more in one article reads as a template.
Does the tool work with non-English text?
The patterns are English-specific. Em-dash detection works across languages but the rhetorical patterns and filler phrases are tuned for English.
Can I feed in long documents?
Yes, the tool handles pieces up to ~50,000 characters comfortably. For longer, split by chapter or section.
Will running this fix my content?
The tool flags issues. Pair it with the Em-Dash Remover for one-click cleanup of the mechanical patterns. Rhetorical structure still needs a human edit.
Why are AI patterns a problem for SEO?
Google's March 2024 core update specifically targeted thin AI-generated content. Patterns that signal AI generation at scale can trigger quality demotions.
Do AI engines like ChatGPT cite AI-generated content?
They cite what's available, but they rank sources partly by distinctiveness. Content full of generic AI prose gets outranked by content with specifics, data, and voice.
Is 0% AI-pattern score the goal?
No. Em-dashes exist, parallel structure exists, strong lead-ins exist. Aim for below 30% on composite patterns rather than zero.
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